Shelving unit



Feb. 5, 1935.

E. E. DAVIES SHELVING UNIT Filed March 2, 1933 INVENTOR I l' .4 ORNEY Patented Feb. 5, 1935 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHELVING UNIT Ernest E. Davies, East Orange, N. 8.

Application March 2, 1933, Serial No. 659,263

The present invention relates to improvements in shelving units generally.

Shelving units such as book-cases, dish-cabinets and display or storage racks for canned or packaged goods, or the like, are articles of everyday use and of great utility. The object of the present invention is to provide a new and novel shelving unit which is easily assembled and taken apart and which may be easily shipped. Another object of the invention is to provide such a unit of simple structure and the manufacturing cost of which is reduced to a minimum. A further object of the invention is to provide such a unit of strong and rigid structure. A still further object of the invention is to provide a shelving unit in which wear and tear resulting from the everyday use thereof and from the assembling and dissembling thereof is reduced to a minimum. Still further objects and advantages attaching to the device and to its use and operation will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following particular description and from the appended claim.

In accordance with these objects the invention comprises two or more flat shelves separated by two or more rigid support members located at right angles to said shelves. The top and bottom of each of said rigid support members contiguous to said shelves are planes of appreciable area. Two or more passages extend through said support members and said shelves and each of said passages accommodates a tie rod or cable extending vertically through and beyond said shelving unit in both directions. Said rod or cable is provided with tightening and holding means at one or both of its ends which exerts force on said shelves and said supports to clamp these parts together tightly. Any vertical force is, of course, resisted either by the tie rods or the support members depending upon the direction of said force and any horizontal force is resisted by the force exerted by the tie rod preventing the shelves from separating and tilting or turning of the rigid support members, the tops and bottoms of which 45 are planes of appreciable area. The new and novel shelving unit of such structure is strong and rigid. The manufacturing cost of such a unit is reduced to a minimum as the elements thereof are few in number and each element thereof is a standardized part so that the unit lends itself readily to manufacture by automatic, or semiautomatic machinery and expensive cabinet work is eliminated. The elements are easily assembled into a complete. unit and said unit is readily broken down into its component parts, T t wear and tear on the various members of the shelving unit resulting from the everyday use thereof and from assembling and disassembling thereof is reduced to a minimum due to its rigid structure and due to the fact that the joints of said shelving unit 5 are not held together by friction holding means, such as screws or nails, which lose much of their effectiveness after they have once been removed from a joint. The shelving unit is readily packed and shipped in a knocked-down state and ocl0 cupies but small shipping space which is unusual in a shelving unit of appreciable useful space.

The invention will be readily understood by an inspection of the drawing accompanying and forming part of this specification and by a perul5 sal of the following particular description thereof.

Referring to the drawing Fig. l is a front elevational view of a baak-case or the like embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a top view of the embodiment of the 20 invention illustrated in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a sectional view along the line 4.-4 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of one of the support pieces.

Fig. 6 is a top View of said support piece, and

Fig. '7 is a sectional side elevational view of one of the base pieces of said shelving unit.

Like numbers denote like parts in all views of the device.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing the new and novel shelving unit comprises a plurality of shelves 1. A plurality of square or rectangular support members 2 of appreciable thickness are located between each pair of said shelves 1. The maximum horizontal distance between said supports 2 and, therefore, the number of said supports 2, is determined by the stiffness of said shelves 1 and this, of course, depends upon the material and dimensions of the shelves 1. The supports 2 also serve to divide each shelf 1 into sections which is frequently desirable when books or the like are placed on the shelves 1 or to keep articles of like kind separate from those of a different kind. Said supports 2 are located along the length of said shelves 1 and the supports 2 between each pair of shelves are in line with the supports 2 between any other pair. of shelves. The ends of said supports 2 in contact with said shelves 1 are of appreciable area and lie flat against the surfaces of said shelves 3 1 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Each of said supports 2 has two parallel tubular passages therethrough at the front and back parts thereof as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6. Each of said shelves 1 has a plurality of pairs of tubular passages therethrough and one passage of each pair is arranged in a line parallel to the forward and back edges thereof as shown in Fig. 2. The distance between the passages of each pair in said shelves 1 is the same as the distance between the passages in said supports 2 and the passages in said supports 2 and said shelves 1 are in a line to form a series of long passages each of whieh extends through said shelving unit from the top to the bottom thereof when said supports 2 are in position between said shelves 1 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. A tie rod 4 is inserted m each of said passages and said tie rod 4 extends slightly beyond the top of the top shelf 1, as shown in Fig. 3, and the opposite end thereof terminates in a recess in the base pieces 8 of said shelving unit, as shown in Fig. 7.

The ends of said tie rod 4 are threaded and a ball head nut 5 is screwed onto the top end thereof as shown in Fig. 3 and another nut '7 is screwed onto the bottom end thereof as shown in Fig. '7. A washer 9' is interposed between said nut 5 and said shelf 1 and between said nut 7 and said'base 8. The washer 9 between said ball nut 5 and said shelf 1 is flush with the top surface of said shelf 1. When said nuts 5 and 7 or either of them are tightened the pressure exerted thereby clamps the support members 2, the shelves 1 and the. bases 8 together to form a strong, rigid shelving unit of great utility in supporting objects of various kinds.

The base pieces 8 are equal in length to said support pieces 2 and the tops thereof are of appreciable area. Said base pieces 8 are provided with two legs 11 and 12 and the central part thereof is arched as illustrated in Fig. 7. The arch permits the temporary introduction of a support for the end of the rod 4 terminating in a recess of base 8 to hold the opposite end of said rod 4 above the level of the-topmost shelf 1 to permit the screwing of nut 5 thereon during the assembling of the shelving unit. The temporary support is, of course, removed when nut 5 has been screwed into position. The recessedparts of said bases 8 which accommodate said nuts 7 are of such size and shape that the turning of nut 7 therein is prevented during the assembling of the shelving unit.

Where the shelves 1 are of unequal length the support pieces 2 located at the ends of the shorter shelf 1 are held position in the same manner as the other support pieces 2. I prefer to use in this part, however, a bolt 13 having a square head 14 which is located in a recess in the bottom part of the longer shelf I. Said head 14 fits into said recess in such manner that the turning thereof is prevented and the bottom thereof does not protrude below the level of the lower surface of the longer shelf 1 as illustrated in Fig. 4. It will be understood, of course, that rods 4 can have a head thereon at either of. its ends similar to bolt 13 when a tightening means at only one end of said rods 4 is deemed sufiicient.

The various elements of the shelving unit are few in number and are easily and quickly assembled into a complete unit with a minimum exnenditure of time, skill and energy even by a person unskilled in the mechanical arts. The supports 2 and the shelves 1 of the new and novel shelving unit lend themselves readily to manufacture by} automatic or send-automatic machinery thus requiring no highly skilled and expensive labor in their manufacture and the tie rods 4, the bolts 13, the washers 9 and the nuts 5 and 7 are inexpensive standardized parts procurable on the open market, all of which reduces the manufacturing cost of the shelving unit to a minimum.

It will be understood of course that I contemplate that the general outline of the shelving unit can be different than that shown in the drawing and that the dimensions of the supports 2 and the shelves 1 can be varied as desired, for example, the supports 2 between one pair of shelves may be of greater or lesser height than the supports 2 between another pair of shelves 1. The height or width of the shelving unit can be expanded by increasing the length of the tie rods 4 or by increasing the length of said shelves 1 and the number of said supports 2 and said rods 4. Though I prefer, and the above description contemplates, the use of wood for the shelves 1, the supports 2 and bases 8 it will be understood that any or all of these elements are made of metal when desired. When supports 2 are made of metal it is desirable though not essential, that said supports 2 have the same shape as that shown in the drawing and described above but, in the interest of economy and lightness, said supports should be hollow with holes drilled through the top and bottom thereof to accommodate the rods 4 passing therethrough. The supports 2 when made of metal can have other shapes than that shown and described and can be shaped as an I beam, for example.

While I have shown and. described and have pointed out in the annexed claim certain novel features of the invention, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its use may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

A shelving unit comprising a plurality of shelves, a-plurality of supports separating said shelves, the width of said supports being as great as the width of said shelves, and a plurality of bases for said unit, the parts of said supports and said bases contiguous to said shelves being of appreciable area, and 'a plurality of tightening and holding mean passing through said shelves and said supports and terminating in a. recess in said bases to clamp said shelves, said baes and said supports together. 

